Little Cumberland Island Light Explained

Location:Northern end of Little Cumberland Island, Georgia
Coordinates:30.9761°N -81.4131°W
Yearbuilt:1838
Yearlit:1838
Yeardeactivated:1915
Foundation:Brick
Marking:White tower with black lantern
Construction:Brick
Shape:conical
Lens:1838: 14 Lewis lamps
1857: Third-order Fresnel lens
Characteristic:Fixed white
Module:
Little Cumberland Island Lighthouse
Embed:yes
Added:August 8, 1989
Refnum:89001407

The Little Cumberland Island Lighthouse is a privately owned lighthouse in Georgia, United States, on the north end of Little Cumberland Island adjacent to main Cumberland Island, in Camden County on the southeast coast of Georgia.

When in service the light marked the entrance to St. Andrew Sound and the Satilla River. It also marked a shoal that extends about south-southeasterly of the light.[1]

History

The 60feet Little Cumberland Island Lighthouse was designed by Winslow Lewis and built in 1838. It had fourteen Lewis lamps generating a fixed light, which distinguished it from the older tower to the south that had a revolving light. The lantern room received its third-order Fresnel lens, manufactured in France by Henri LePaute, in 1857.[2] The new light had a range of with a focal height of asl.[1] In 1874, a brick wall was built around the lighthouse to protect it from the encroaching sea.The lighthouse was in service until 1915 when it was deactivated. The keeper's house and all other light station buildings, are long since gone; However, thanks to dedicated owners, the lighthouse has been restored and remains in pristine condition. The lighthouse was renovated by the owners from 1994 to 1998 and again in 2016. The lighthouse keeper's house and surrounding property is privately owned and is not open to the public.[3] A large dune protects the lighthouse from the ocean, and as a result, the tower is now barely visible from the water.

Designation

The lighthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places, No. 89001407. It was designated on August 8, 1989.

The Little Cumberland Island lighthouse is a private property and access in not permitted without permission from the owner.

See also

Notes and References

  1. https://books.google.com/books?id=bw5AAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA194 "List of lights and fog signals on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States, 1907
  2. http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=329 "Little Cumberland Island, GA"
  3. http://www.cr.nps.gov/maritime/light/cumber.htm "Little Cumberland Island Light - Inventory of Historic Light Stations Georgia Lighthouses"